FBI: Uploader Confesses to Pre-releasing Guns N' Roses Tracks

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FBI: Uploader Confesses to Pre-releasing Guns N' Roses Tracks

The California man arrested Wednesday for allegedly uploading pre-released Gun N' Roses songs to his blog has provided a "typed, signed confession" to the FBI, according to court records unveiled Thursday.

What's more, the investigation into to the Culver City man began last month after the Recording Industry Association of America tipped off the authorities, wrote Jensen Penalosa, an FBI agent in a filing in Los Angeles federal court made available Thursday.

Kevin Cogill, aka Skwerl, uploaded the nine songs on June 18, according to the affidavit, which was the basis for Cogill's arrest at his apartment. A day after the uploading, according to the affidavit, (.pdf) an RIAA investigator alerted the FBI, Penalosa said.

"Cogill provided a typed, signed confession which stated that he had posted the unreleased Guns N' Roses songs to the internet on his web site www.antiquiet.com," Penalosa wrote.

Cogill did not return e-mail or telephone messages seeking comment.

Cogill is charged with one count of violating Title 17, United States Code Section, 506 (a) (1) (C). The copyright infringement charge is related pre-released material, "distribution of a work being prepared for commercial distribution by making it available on a computer network accessible to members of the public."

The charge is a "felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than three years or, if the offense was committed for commercial advantage or private financial gain, for not more than five years."

According to court records, the antiquiet music-review site crashed because there were so many hits.The affidavit also says the nine recordings have been removed from the site, which does not appear to be operational at this time.